Abu al-Tufayl Amir ibn Wathilah - Last of the Companions to Die
The Last of the Companions to Die
The Companion Abu al-Tufayl; ‘Amir ibn Wathilah al-Laythi, or ‘Amir ibn Wathilah ibn Abdullah ibn ‘Amir, and it was also said: ‘Umayr ibn Juhsh, or Hamis ibn Jari, or Judi ibn Sa‘d. He was among those who saw the Prophet—peace be upon him. Scholars agreed that he was the last of the noble Companions to die, in the year 100 AH.
It was also said he died in the year 102, and another narration says 110, in Mecca. It is also said he was from the Kinana tribe, not Layth. Ibn ‘Asakir mentioned in his history that he died in the year 101 and lived during the caliphate of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz—may Allah have mercy on him. Another saying is that he died in the battle of Ibn al-Ash‘ath in the year 82 AH.
Information About the Companion 'Amir ibn Wathilah
Abu al-Tufayl was eight years old during the time of the Prophet—peace be upon him—as he was born in the year of the Battle of Uhud. He saw the Prophet during Hajj, went to Kufa, then settled in Mecca until he died. It is mentioned that he saw the Prophet—peace be upon him—circumambulating the Ka‘bah. He narrated from Omar and Ali—may Allah be pleased with them. He lived in Kufa and al-Mada'in during the time of the Companion Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman—may Allah be pleased with him—then returned to Mecca and died there.
He was the last of the Companions to have seen the Prophet—peace be upon him—and he accompanied ‘Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—and witnessed all the battles with him. After ‘Ali’s death, he returned to Mecca. He was known for his eloquence, virtue, poetry, and quick-wittedness. He was born after the Hijrah and saw the Prophet—peace be upon him—during the Farewell Pilgrimage while the Prophet was touching the corner (of the Ka‘bah) with his staff and kissing it. He carried the banner of al-Mukhtar when he rose in Iraq. He was known to be trustworthy in narration, truthful, knowledgeable, and a skilled horseman.
The Vision of 'Amir ibn Tufayl of the Prophet
‘Amir al-Bakri Abu al-Tufayl is considered one of the younger Companions, and the last of them to die. In Sahih Muslim, it was narrated that he saw the Prophet—peace be upon him—touching the Ka‘bah's corner, saying: “I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, circumambulating the Ka‘bah and touching the corner with his staff and kissing the staff”.
When someone asked him about seeing the Prophet—peace be upon him—he said: “Yes, and I do not know of any man alive on earth who saw the Prophet other than me”. He added: “He was white-skinned and handsome-faced”. He also saw him riding his camel heading to al-Abtah. He also saw him distributing meat in a place called al-Ji‘ranah and saw him circumambulating and walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah.
